Illinois is...

...honoring its four seniors at Saturday's game

...ranked at No. 55 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings

...ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 27 goals this season

...ranked 78th in the country for its 15.13 shots per game

...limiting opponents to just 5.8 shots on goal per game

...averaging 7.0 shots on goal per game

ILLINOIS VS. NORTHWESTERN
> Series History: The Illini lead the all-time series against in-state foe Northwestern, 11-5-3, and the Orange and Blue have a 6-1-1 advantage over the Wildcats in Illinois Soccer Stadium. 

> Scouting the WILDCATS: Receiving votes in the latest NSCAA Coaches poll, the Wildcats have an 11-4-2 overall record with one of their losses coming to No. 20 Santa Clara. Junior Addie Steiner leads Northwestern as she has scored five goals and dished six assists this season. The Wildcats rank 14th in the nation for their 6.18 fouls per game

GAME DAY PARKING

Parking for Saturday's game will be available in Lot 42, the grass lot next to Illinois Field. It will be free to the public, and open at 4 p.m. 

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE

The Illini are dominant on their home turf, outscoring opponents 21-9 this season. Illinois has held four opponents to single-digit shots at home, and have taken 41 corner kicks to its opponents' 28. 

FLAWS IS THE ALL-TIME LEADER

Redshirt senior Jannelle Flaws sits in the top 10 in several career categories in the Illinois soccer record book. She ranks first in goals (52), first in shots on goal (160), first in points (118) and in shots (334). In Big Ten games only, she owns the most goals (27) and points (60) in school history. 

MULTI-GOAL MARBURY

Illini sophomore Kara Marbury headed in two goals on Oct. 18, lifting Illinois over Nebraska, 3-1. The two-goal game marks the first for Marbury in her career. She has accumulated five goals this season, good for second on the team.

STOPPING THE STREAK

Illinois put a stop to two streaks on Sept. 24, as the Orange and Blue handed the Rutgers Scarlet Knights their first loss of the season. Rutgers was 8-0-0 heading into their matchup in Champaign, and had not allowed a goal in the season. Illini junior Allison Stucky scored the first goal against Rutgers this season, while sophomore Kara Marbury  put in the game-winner to hand the Scarlet Knights their first loss. 

LIMITING THE OPPONENT

The Illini have done a great job of limiting their opponents shots this season. UI has outshot its opponent in 10 games this season, firing a team total 241 shots while only allowing 200 shots from opponents. The Illini held Northern Kentucky to just four shots in the game, the fewest for an opposing team since Illinois allowed just four shots from Indiana last season (9/18/2014). Illinois' 29 shots in the game mark the most for an Illinois team since firing 29 shots against Oakland in 2014 (Aug. 31). The Illini have held five opponents to single-digit shots this season. Prior to facing Purdue on Sept. 20, Illinois had held three consecutive opponents scoreless for the second year in a row. The Illini shutout Nebraska (3-0), Indiana (2-0) and Purdue (3-0) in consecutive games last season.  

TOP OF THE NATION

Illini standout Jannelle Flaws not only leads the team in several categories this season, but she is also among the nation's leaders. Flaws ranks 28th in the country with her four game-winning goals this season. She  sits 36th in the country for her 24 points, while her nine goals ranks 55th in the country and her 4.56 shots per game ranks 19th.

Junior Hope D'Addario ranks 112th in the nation for her 5 assists on the season, while Flaws's six assists sits at No. 57. 

As a team, Illinois ranks 71st in the nation for its .656 win-loss-tied percentage and 82nd for its 78 total points. The Illini are 81st in the country with 6.94 shots on goal per game, 78th for their 15.13 shots per game and 74th for their 24 assists on the season. 

LEAGUE LEADERS

Jannelle Flaws sits among the top-five on several conference lists so far this season. She leads the league with 24 points this season. Flaws is third in the league for her nine goals and second for her four game-winners. She is second in the Big Ten with six assists, 1.94 shots on  goal per game and 4.56 shots per game. 

Junior Hope D'Addario is eighth in the league for her five assists as well.

Junior Claire Wheatley grabbed a season-best nine saves against Michigan State, and boasts a season tally of 73, which ranks fourth in the league this season. She averages 4.63 saves per game, good for fourth in the conference as well.

As a team, the Illini rank fifth in the league with 78 points and fourth for their 27 goals so far this season. Penn State is in the lead with 33 goals on the year. The Illini are also fifth in the B1G with 24 assists on the year.

Scoring Mentality

With just two games left in the regular season the Illini are just three goals away from last year's goal tally. The Illini have 27 goals this season and closed 2014 with 30 total goals. Eight Illini have found the back of the net this year, and seven of those players have recorded two or more goals, led by Jannelle Flaws who has eight goals on the season.

Flaws Breaks Career Goals Record in Style

Redshirt senior Jannelle Flaws shattered Tara Hurless' career goals record in style on Sunday, Aug. 30. After tying the record (47) against TCU on Aug. 28, Flaws notched a hat trick in a span of nine minutes against Saint Louis to break the record. She finished the game with 50 career goals. Next up for Flaws is the Big Ten career record, which is set at 91 by Penn State's Tiffany Weimer.

Freshman Phenoms

The Illini welcomed five freshman to the roster this season, all of which head coach Janet Rayfield said would make a major impact. They have done just that as freshman Morgan Maroney has become a consistent member of the Orange and Blue's starting defense. Katie Murray has put in two goals this year, and Patricia George has played in 15 games at forward. Caroline Ratz has started in six matches this year, while Lauren Ciesla has racked up four appearances for Illinois.

Second-Quickest Illini Hat Trick

The three goals in 9:27 by Jannelle Flaws against Purdue last season  (9/21/14) was previously the second-fastest hat trick in school history behind Vanessa DiBernardo, who scored three goals in 8:49 as part of a school-record four goals against Purdue (10/1/10). Flaws surpassed that record against Saint Louis on Aug. 30 as she recorded three goals in exactly nine minutes, leading the Illini over Saint Louis (3-1) and breaking the Illinois career goals record.

Starting Strong

With four consecutive wins to start the season, the Illini notched one of the best starts to the year since 2011 when Illinois won its first four games and finished with an NCAA second round appearance. The Illini topped Gonzaga, Toledo, Ball State and Louisville before falling to USC in the fifth game of the year. 

Preseason Big Ten Polls

Illinois was slated to finish fifth in the league in this year's Big Ten Preseaon Poll. After finishing seventh in the league last season, the Illini return nine of 11 starters from last year's team, bringing back a wealth of experience. Redshirt senior, Jannelle Flaws, junior defender, Hope D'Addario, and senior midfielder, Nicole Breece are on the Big Ten's Preseason Players to Watch List.

Breaking Down the Schedule

Illinois is set to play a challenging 2015 schedule, which features matchups with several top-25 opponents. Illinois has faced two opponents for the first time in Northern Kentucky and TCU. The Illini  also saw a familiar face in former Illini assistant coach, Eric Bell, who led the Horned Frogs to Champaign for the first-ever match up with his former team. The Illini will face three NCAA Tournament teams during the 2015 slate. 

Illini in Exhibition Play

Before jumping into the 2015 season, the Illini put themselves to the test with some challenging exhibition matchups. Illinois went head-to-head with NCAA runner up, Virginia before facing last year's No. 11-ranked Notre Dame. Rayfield was excited for the two challenges, hoping they would help point out areas in which the team could fine tune prior to the season opener against Oakland. 

Summer Soccer

The Illini were busy this summer as several of the Orange and Blue spent their time playing all over the country. Redshirt senior Janelle Flaws and junior Kara Marbury spent their summer making an impact in the W-League for the Seattle Sounders Women, while junior Hope D'Addario was called up to help the United States on the U23 National Team at the Four Nations Tournament.

OSMUNDSON JOINS STAFF FOR 2015

Head coach Janet Rayfield welcomed Missouri State graduate, Allie Osmundson to the Fighting Illini staff for the 2015 season. Osmundson brings with her four years of coaching experience, working with both men's and girl's programs. Osmundson led the Marshalltown High School girls soccer program to two-straight winning seasons, while also coaching 25 All-Conference players, four All-District players, one All-Division player and one All-State team player. Osmundson also served as the Assistant Men's Soccer Coach at Marshalltown Community College where she helped with preparing drills and scouting reports as well as managing equipment and travel arrangements. She helped guide the team to the 2012 NJCAA Tournament and has coached three NJCAA All-Americans. Osmundson was a team captain and three-time All-Conference player at Missouri State.

Flaws on MAC Hermann Watch List

Senior Jannelle Flaws was selected to the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy watch list for the 2015 season, which is the most prestigious individual award in NCAA soccer. The nomination marks the second consecutive season Flaws has been recognized on the watch list prior to beginning the year. She also was named to Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Best Second Team and a Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch. Flaws is coming off a 2014 season in which she was named a third-team NSCAA All-American, a first-team All-Region selection and a unanimous pick for Big Ten Forward of the Year, making her the first Illini to win the conference's top honor in consecutive seasons.

Wheatley Stepped Up in Year Two

Junior Claire Wheatley started the final 18 games in goal and played in all 20 contests last season, posting an 8-7-2 record with six solo shutouts along with being part of two other shutouts with junior Michelle Denley. Wheatley made 66 saves, which tied for ninth in the Big Ten. She allowed 19 goals in 1,715 minutes for a 1.00 goals against average (GAA). The Plano, Texas, native allowed 31 fewer goals compared to 2013 when she allowed 50 goals in the 23 contests. Denley started the first two games of the year and played in three games, notching a 2-1-0 record. The transfer from Bowling Green owns 10 saves and a 1.26 GAA.

Breece's 3 Assists Tied Illini Record

Senior Nicole Breece equaled the school record with three assists against UAB last season, becoming the fifth Illini to accomplish the feat and first since 2003. Breece added her name to an exclusive list of Illini who have tallied three assists in a game, joining Eva Strickland (2003), Tara Hurless (2002), Kelly Buszkiewicz (1998) and Rachel Smith (1997). The St. Louis, Missouri, native tied for eighth in the Big Ten with a career-high seven assists.

All-Time Wins Counter

Since becoming a varsity sport in 1997, the University of Illinois women's soccer team has compiled an overall record of 225-143-32 with 12 NCAA Tournament appearances in 18 seasons. Head coach Janet Rayfield (168-102-29) is responsible for 74-percent of those wins and 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in her 13 seasons at the helm.

UI NCAA Tournament History

Illinois has played in the NCAA Tournament 12 times in 17 seasons and are 11-12-3 all-time in tournament action. UI's top finish was the Elite Eight during the 2004 season, while they also reached the Sweet Sixteen in 2006, 2008 and 2013.

Illinois on the Big Ten Network

Two University of Illinois women's soccer home games will appear live on the Big Ten Network during the 2015 season. The Illini's game against Rutgers on Sept. 24 (7 p.m.) was selected to air on BTN along with Illinois' contest against Nebraska on Oct. 18. BTN will also televise the semifinals and championship game of the Big Ten Tournament, which will be hosted by the highest remaining seed of the tournament following the quarterfinal round. 

Illinois Online

Seven Illinois games are slated to stream online this season. The Illini will have six games on BTN+, which can be accessed at BTN2Go.com, and the others can be accessed through FIGHTINGILLINI.com. Links to the games will be posted on the Illini Soccer schedule page and also promoted through social media.